Seattle by Kayak

Ben asked if we were planning to use our kayaks to explore downtown Seattle. We laughed. He explained that it was actually a really cool way to see the city. He told us of a little spot where we could put in and row out to Chihuly's boathouse, under the I-5 bridge. How cool is that!

So we went downtown to Gasworks Park. This part of town is run down and colorful with lots of characters. Neat street murals adorned little ghetto stores on the industrial outskirts of town. 

When we arrived at Gasworks Park there was no boat launch, so we traveled up the lake until we spotted the little Marina used by the tourist Ducks (car/boat hybrids). We pulled up to find parking. The local homeless folks told us exactly how to park and not get a ticket, and assured us they would watch over our vehicle. The one fella was living out if his broken down car adjacent to where we parked, so we felt certain he would still be there when we got back. 

We launched our boats and paddled out among shipping vessels and the cute little houseboats that dotted the seawalls, making our way to the I-5 bridge.

Look! The Ms. Amy!

It was obvious that Seattle was bursting at the seams as we watched traffic crawl along the highway bridges and exits. We had found the perfect place to be during rush hour for the down town area.

 

Paddling up to Chihuly's boat house we could see beautiful handblown glass in all the windows. I could only guess who was working and what amazing art was being blown. 

We went a little further under the bridge, checked out some more house boats and ships along the sea walls. Then we turned around and headed towards Gasworks Park. 

Rowing back we passed by our launch spot.  Our homeless buddy waved. One of the amphibious ducks was entering the water. Lotus was thrilled to watch the car become a boat. As the duck passed by, the captain gave Lotus the Hawaiian hang loose sign and everyone on board gave us a wave. We rounded the corner to Gasworks Park. Here we saw the old grafitti covered industrial tanks and pipes that had been turned into a city park. There was no where to dock, so we tied our boats together and had a snack as we drifted around Union Lake. We gazed upon the Space Needle and the city skyline, knowing that we would soon be exploring those very same streets. 

~ Sky and Sarah

The Big Fish

I woke up this morning and I kept on bugging my mom, "Can we go to the lake? Can we go to the lake? Can we go to the lake?"

 We camped last night on a lake that had a beautiful beach area. We drove down to the lake, I grabbed my cast net, and ran down to the beach.

I jumped in the water and swam with my cast net to the floating dock. The water was pretty cold even though the locals say it's the warmest lake around. I got to the floating dock and my mom swam out with me. 

I threw my castnet and on the first throw I caught two one inch fish and a five inch fish.

They were beautiful. I threw it a few more times and then I caught a GIANT LARGE MOUTH BASS! Dad took a few pictures of it from the shore and then we released it. I threw my net a few more times, caught a few more small fish, and then we heard loud thunder and saw lots of lightening. We quickly swam out of the water. It was a little hard for me because I had my castnet in one hand. 

We got back to the RV and we started driving, and that's where we are now. I thought today was a great day- and by the way, the large mouth bass was between 1 1/2-  2 feet. It was the biggest fish I've ever caught. 

~Lotus

*Note from Sarah: We camped on Lake Liberty at a County Park campground east of Spokane on the Washington/ Idaho border. 

Pilchuck Glass School

Rolling into Northern Washington, we were greeted with beautiful, lush rolling hills, wildflowers and farms. It was like a picture out of a storybook. We made our way to our friends Ben and Kim's house. We knew we were getting close when we saw the sign for Pilchuck Glass School.

All of a sudden I became a bundle of nerves. The idea of visiting the world's premier glass school was a bit overwhelming. A couple more turns and we were at Benny's house. 

Ben Sharp blew glass with us at Somewhere Glassworks many years ago. He has gone on to work at some of the most renowned glass facilities in the country, such as Bullseye, Wheaton and Goggleworks. He is now the head glass technician at Pilchuck. He and his wife  live within biking/ hiking distance of the school. 

It was like a scene from a Thoreau novel with a cute little house and a pond with a rowboat in the back.

The kids wanted to take the rowboat out for a spin and when we flipped it over a red striped rat snake slithered out. Lilye quickly caught and tamed him.  

Evening was approaching and we lay in the fresh cut grass of the backyard and watched the kids explore the lake. With darkness falling, Lotus built a fire in the glass crucible fire pit in Ben and Kim's back yard- how appropriate! 

Kim and Benny made us feel so at home and we couldn't have been more content. We fired up the grill, cooked a delicious dinner, and stayed up late sharing stories about Pilchuck and our adventures. We couldn't believe that William Morris owned the farm across the street, with a big red barn that acts as a warehouse for some of the most amazing art glass ever made. 

The next morning was a typical rainy Washington morning and we were preparing to visit Pilchuck. Before we left, Lotus just had to take the rowboat out one more time, rain or shine. 

We arrived at Pilchuck Glass School, which is surrounded by tree farms, with butterflies in our stomachs. Benny came out to greet us and then gave us an all access, behind the scenes tour including all the equipment, secret places and treasures that Pilchuck has to offer.

It was more than we could have ever hoped for and we were amazed that Benny seemed to know every person that walked by. Besides being an amazing artist,

it is incredible to see how much equipment he has to maintain and how well he does it.

The spaces seem to flow together and work as one. In every corner there are glassblowers,

casters, flame workers, cold workers, engravers, printmakers,

neon benders

and more. The hot shop was flowing with  hot glass and creative people. It's hard to describe what a great experience it was to see a shop of that caliber on such an intimate level with such great friends. 

Next we visited Kim, who runs the Pilchuck store-  a candy land for glass artists.

Then we set off through the forest with our trusty guide

to see Dale's cottage, the Trojan Horse (not a horse at all, but an enchanting structure),

and the creative staff and student housing

nestled all throughout the woods. The forest was  rich with salmonberries, huckleberries, thimbleberries and blackberries. The views were incredible looking out over Whidbey Island and on to Mt. Ranier. 

Ben showed us the tradionally carved Squamish Pilchuck totem pole.

It is a unique mix of old and new. The cedar pole is carved in age old fashion

and tells a story of the founders of Pilchuck and of Dale Chihuly's influence (he's in the middle with a glass eye patch). Artists at Pilchuck combined both cast glass,

blown glass and neon elements in the carved totem pole, making it an amazing one of a kind piece of installation art.

One thing we should add about our spectacular tour is that the cafeteria, the kitchen staff and all the food could rival any five star restaurant. Benny treated us to a delicious lunch in the lodge with all the students and staff. 

All in all, it was one of our favorite stops on this trip, and we can't thank Kim and Ben enough for showing us such a good time. We're both looking forward to coming back one day to visit again. 

Ferry to Deception Pass

Our next stop is North of Seattle and instead of driving all the way back around the Olympic Peninsula, we decided to ferry across. We took off from Port Townsend and landed on Whidbey Island.  While waiting for the ferry, the kids collected driftwood on the beach while I captured some of our surroundings ...

The ferry ride was exciting. Once the Warrior was stowed away safely, we went on deck to watch the big water. I was sure there was a whale at every turn, and was on high alert (see picture below. Ha!)

We did see both seals and porpoises on our journey, along with a killer view of the late afternoon sky. 

Next we crossed beautiful Whidbey Island and Deception Pass. Deception Pass is a bridge and park where two massive bodies of water churn together-Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Pictures (at least mine) can't capture the height, or the action of the water- swirling green whirlpools and intense tidal action. We enjoyed the park and bridge 

and heading East (something new), drove  into beautiful farmland and toward our next destination.